Often, collection agents get frustrated on a call, or feel
they are losing control, or just want to move on – and subconsciously, they
start speeding up the pace of what they are saying, to try to wrap things
up. This is a mistake.
The consumer, on the other end, can often interpret what
they hear from the collection agent as aggression, impatience, or unprofessionalness.
Slow down.
If you feel a conversation going off the rails, speaking
faster and louder does not bring the call back where you need it – speak calmly,
slowly and clearly. If the consumer
starts speaking over you, continue to speak at a slow pace, it will cut through
the conversation.
If you feel a consumer is being argumentative, refusing to
pay, or is going in circles, you can decide to end the call, but don’t rush
it! Yes, your call might go another 1-2
seconds, but how you end a call matters, as how the consumer perceives how they
are treated. And for goodness sake, end
the call with a calm statement on your side.
Also, as a bonus feature, to you personally as a collection
agent, if you slow down, just a bit, you’ll keep your stress levels down. Yes, you have to move quickly and efficiently
in collections, but by unnecessarily rushing calls might only get you 5-6 more calls
a day at the cost of maybe not handling 30 calls well. Not worth it.
I know, I am saying this as the guy who back in the ‘90s, as
a collection agent, drank 3-4 coffees each day, with five sugars, and could see
through space and time, and made 160+ calls a day. But I’ve got the benefit of hindsight. I could have rushed a little less, and maybe
only had two sugars in my coffee …
Approach each call with mindfulness, take 5-10 seconds to
review the previous collection notes, handle the call and keep your mind
focused on what’s being said (and not being said), and after the call ends,
take a couple seconds to think ‘did I do everything right on that call, where
did it go wrong, what did I say that went well?’. Doing collections is a job that requires
thought and analysis.
Got questions about how to handle difficult calls, or coach
your team? Drop me a note at blair@receivableaccounts.com.
Thanks kindly,
Blair DeMarco-Wettlaufer
KINGSTON Data & Credit
226-946-1730
blair@receivableaccounts.com
